


Raptor Road

by HallowedNight



Category: Jurassic World (2015), Mad Max Series (Movies), Mad Max: Fury Road
Genre: (i don't even know guys), Crossover, Dinosaurs, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:17:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4137213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HallowedNight/pseuds/HallowedNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Nux took a deep breath, hiding his grin as he ducked into the low-ceilinged hatching room. Excitement was palpable in the air; raptor hatchings were rare, and everyone wanted to see how the best new up-and-comer was going to deal with his new pack. Nux wasn’t worried."</p><p>((The Jurassic World/Mad Max crossover you didn't know you needed.))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is a little bit ridiculous. :D But damn if it wasn't fun to write.

Nux took a deep breath, hiding his grin as he ducked into the low-ceilinged hatching room. Excitement was palpable in the air; raptor hatchings were rare, and everyone wanted to see how the best new up-and-comer was going to deal with his new pack. Nux wasn’t worried.

The clutch was situated in a large, straw-lined nest in the center of the room, lit by gas lamps and kept warm by hot rocks pushed under the bedding. Weaving between the other nests dotted around the dim, columned room, Nux approached the central depression, his smile finally breaking through as he saw his pack for the first time. Cracks meandered across each of the four eggs, and two were twitching slightly, ready to pop into the world. The War Boy’s chest swelled with pride. His babies were going to be the best Citadel had ever seen.

The keeper that had been overseeing the nest stepped back at Nux’s nod, leaving the room via a passage opposite the entrance; the alpha of the pack had to be the first person present at a hatching so the babies would imprint correctly. It was all about trust, and Nux was ready to be an alpha. He had been through years of training and preparation and waiting for a clutch of raptors, and this was his – their – time to shine.

Falling to his knees beside the nest, Nux pulled a dripping packet from one of his pockets and unwrapped it; blood oozed onto the stone floor as he dropped a small pile of raw meat cubes on the rim of the nest depression. The babies would be hungry after struggling out of their eggs, and a clutch of starving hatchlings was not something he wanted to deal with when he was trying to get the pack back to his bunk.

His attention completely focused on the eggs, Nux lowered himself to the floor, scooching towards the nest till his arms could hang comfortably over the edge. Tiny claws were already poking from the two eggs that had been wiggling, and the other two were now trembling as well, futilely resisting the efforts of the younglings within. Nux bit his bottom lip to contain his smile and reach into the nest to help the hatchlings, picking bits of shell off of claws and heads and tails, crooning and chirping all the while, making sure he was the first thing they saw.

Soon, three baby raptors were recovering from their respective hatchings, gnawing on bits of meat and snapping at each other half-heartedly. Nux focused his attention on the last egg, unbidden tears finally spilling from his eyes as the tiny raptor stabbed her head through the top of the egg with an irritated screech. Chuckling tearfully, Nux carefully picked the large chunk of shell from her head and ducked down to look her in the eye.

“Blood,” he breathed, grinning widely. “My beta, my beautiful, shiny girl…”

Blood dipped her head slightly, surveying this large, strange creature for a moment until Nux gave the egg a little tap and it toppled over, sending the little raptor sprawling into the world with an angry squeal. She immediately regained her composure and waddled over to her sisters, pushing her way to the pile of meat and snapping up a few squares.

Nux watched silently as the pack ate, figuring out their dynamics. Blood was definitely the beta, leader within the species; she was a deep grey-brown with a reddish stripe running from her eyes down the sides of her lithe body. Claw was next, a scrawny yet feisty little thing with a much lighter color scheme. Death was nearly black, with piercing yellow eyes that drilled into their targets. Edge seemed to be the doofus, and so was on the bottom of the pack dynamic; she constantly tripped over her feet and barreled into her sisters, causing several scuffles until the other three learned to stay in front of her.

When the pack was finally dry and full, Nux chirped to get their attention, beaming from ear to ear when they all snapped their heads towards him. The little raptors were no more than a foot tall, but their gazes were sharp as knives, predatory and clearly intelligent. Edge, now much more comfortable with her own feet, wandered towards him, screeching as he plucked her from the ground and inspected her, making sure she was perfect before slinging a harness around her chest and plopping her back into the nest. He repeated this process with the rest of her sisters, who all protested to some degree; Claw went so far as to simply flop onto her side and refuse to move when the harness was fastened. She finally wriggled back to her feet when Blood squawked at her.

Satisfied that all his babies were healthy, Nux fished four thin chains from his pockets and hooked them to their respective harness, giggling as he watched the raptors react to this new development. Though they would soon learn to follow him without a lead, it was best to get them used to the leather. When they got bigger, they’d have harnesses and collars and whatever else he may need them to carry and getting them started now would streamline the process later.

“C’mon, babies!” Nux exclaimed, starting towards the exit with his pack in tow. “Come, my shines, time to go outside! You’ll love it, nice and warm…” The raptors followed with surprisingly few complaints, apparently eager to see when lay beyond this dark room.

Nux laughed out loud when they finally broke out into daylight; all four raptors immediately screeched and tried to run in every direction, kicking up sand as they inspected their new surroundings. Nux chirruped loudly to get their attention, shrieking as he started running towards the paddocks around the back of the main spire of Citadel where he could let the babies off their leashes. His pack followed, already faster than him at barely half an hour old.

Once safely within the paddock, which was fenced off by ten foot high stone walls, Nux let the babies off their chains, pleased when Blood and Death waited for his assenting chirp before sprinting off behind their sisters. They already saw him as their alpha; training would be a snap at this rate.

“Hey, Nuts!”

The War Boy spun around when he heard the voice, waving at Slit as he entered the paddock with a chain of his own. Satisfied that his new pack was occupied, Nux jogged over to his bunkmate, grinning widely. “What _is_ that?” Nux asked immediately, dropping to his knees in front of the reptile at Slit’s side.

“They’re not really sure!” Slit replied, obviously pleased. “She’s definitely a rex, but a mix they haven’t seen.”

Nux nodded, impressed, and ran his hands along the white rex’s snout and ridged head. “She’s real well behaved. What’d’ya name her?”

Slit snorted. “Behaved? Full to burstin’ is more like it. And her name’s Chromebright.” He grinned, reaching down to unhook his rex. The reptile, who’s head was level with Slit’s hip, squawked and trundled away, snuffling at the smaller raptors that immediately swarmed around her. Nux stood back up and clapped his bunkmate on the shoulder.

“I can’t believe you got a rex,” he said, grinning. Slit thumped him on the back.

“Shut up, you know I’ve been trainin’ for one. And Chrome is the prettiest rex I’ve ever seen.” Slit gazed at his new baby proudly, sighing lightly before dragging himself back to reality. “What about your pack then? Everythin’ goin’ well?”

“Oh yeah.” Nux grinned. “Blood, Claw, Death, and Edge, all healthy and ready to go!”

“All healthy?” Slit replied, his eyebrows jumping towards his would-be hairline. “All the eggs?”

“Yep!” Nux beamed proudly. “First in a long time.” Still smiling, he whistled shrilly adding a few chirps as his pack circled along the paddock toward him. Slit grumbled to himself, begrudgingly impressed.

“Can’t believe they’re already listenin’ to ya. Chromey’s smart, but she’s gonna need some trainin’.”

Nux plucked two raptors from the sand and tucked him into his left side, holding them gently against his sun-warmed skin. The other two required a little more wrangling; Edge kept trying to wander off, but Nux soon had two armfuls of thankfully sleepy baby raptors. “Don’t worry,” he said dryly to his bunkmate. “I think the pack’s gonna need some trainin’ too.”

Slit grinned and shrugged, stepping over to where Chromebright had flopped into the hot sand. She rumbled a baleful protest when he murmured and rubbed her head, but eventually pushed herself to her feet and rubbed her head against her partner’s hip. Nux smiled at his bunkmate’s reaction; the Boy was usually as tough as old leather, but he melted when he looked at his new baby. The feeling was completely understandable, Nux thought as Blood stretched her neck to nuzzle at the underside of his chin. These reptiles were family, and Nux had already fallen head over heels for his pack.

Nux sighed happily. His life up until now had truly been a half-life…but now, he was ready to _live._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha I actually wrote more of this dumb story. *shrugs* It's fun???

Sleeping with four raptors, Nux found, was harder than it sounded. Blood, Claw, Death, and Edge all had beds in his room, which he had earned once his place as pack alpha had been assured, but the little reptiles simply refused to stay put. Inevitably, Nux ended up sprawled on his mattress on the floor draped in raptors, several of whom were decidedly active sleepers. 

Thankfully, Nux slept fairly heavily, and the random screeches and scratches barely bothered him after the first few nights. It helped that the girls were getting sufficiently tired out during the day; training was going magnificently, and Nux’s chest swelled every time his pack successfully completed a drill or listened to his commands. All four raptors now recognized him as alpha, though Blood often hung back after a command, eyes sharp and challenging, until Nux sent her on her way with a snarl.

“These reptiles are too smart for their own good,” Nux drawled one evening as he lounged in the warm sand of the training paddock. Slit was similarly situated to his right, absentmindedly rubbing Chromebright’s brow as he watched Nux’s pack squabble over a few treats Nux had filched from the kitchens. 

“You’re tellin’ me,” Slit grumbled in response, bending his knee as Chrome snuffled underneath it. “Chromey here has found every single place I try to hide ‘er food. I’ve gotta keep shit in a lockbox now.”

Nux snorted, then whistled sharply as Claw pinned Edge to the sand by her throat. The tussle broke apart immediately, Edge hissing vehemently at Claw’s retreating tail. The pack dynamics were well and truly established now, Nux’s original assumptions proving correct. Blood ruled with an iron claw, though she often struck out on her own, much to her alpha’s dismay. Nux knew she’d make a great second-in-command, but he had a feeling she didn’t quite trust his judgement yet.

A smile quirked the War Boy’s lips as Death, who had lost interest in her sisters now the food had disappeared, trundled over to him and flopped onto his lap. Though the raptors were now several inches taller than his knee at the shoulder, they still insisted on squishing as many of their bodies on top of his as possible; as per usual, once Blood noticed that Death was getting one-on-one attention, the whole pack swarmed to their alpha and wriggled against him, all humming and purring quietly.

Nux had quickly gotten used to his babies’ sounds. It was essential, honestly, or Blood would have taken over the pack almost immediately in the face of their supposed alpha’s incompetence. He couldn’t quite imitate all of their vocalizations quite yet, but that would come with time. After all, some of the sounds just weren’t meant for human voices, and Nux often went to bed with a sore throat after a long day of training. 

The sun sank closer and closer the horizon as Nux and Slit talked over the snoring and snapping of their reptiles. This had become a bit of an evening ritual; after training and before bed, former bunkmates would sit together, discussing whatever came to mind. It was nice and familiar, a regression to their time in the bunks, back when they were never separated and liked it that way. Though they often trained together and always met at the end of the day, it just wasn’t the same now they had their own quarters. Even with his pack, Nux sometimes felt lonely at night.

“Y’know,” Nux prompted as he stretched and prepared to stand, “you could come crash in my place tonight. Gotta get the kids used to new sights.” Of course they wouldn’t admit they missed each other’s company.

Slit glanced at the other War Boy with a wry smile. “Yeah…yeah, we’ll do that. But I can’t tonight, I have night duty.”

Nux wrinkled his nose, gently poking his pack into consciousness as he pushed himself to his feet. “Sucks for you!” He singsonged, hiding the pang of disappointment that fell into his stomach. Tonight wasn’t his last night on Earth, not yet…they had time. “Good luck with that.” Slit chucked a rock in his direction, grunting when in missed.

Once free of the paddock, Nux began the mile long sprint back to his room. High in one of Citadel’s secondary spires, the stone-carved chamber was relatively large, lit with gas lamps when sunlight wasn’t filtering in from the smattering of small skylights overhead. It was comfortbale; more comfortable that the bunks, at least, and ridiculously luxurious to Nux’s standards. He even had a small desk, not that he ever used it. The charcoal and coarse paper he was supposed to be using for training plans was usually covered with sketches of his pack. He couldn’t write anyway. 

It made sense, giving those with packs or partners their own rooms, but that didn’t mean Nux particularly enjoyed it. He was positive he wouldn’t have been able to sleep if he didn’t have his pack. The room was too quiet, lofty ceiling magnifying the whispers of night breezes, so unlike the usual shifting of his brothers in the bunks around him. Scales weren’t yet the same as skin when the darkness was shifting against you and silence pierced your ears.

This particular night threatened a sandstorm, so Nux locked the skylights tight and settled down for a long few days. He prayed the storm would pass quickly; convincing growing raptors that going outside was not an option was an arduous task, and Nux had no desire to keep his pack locked up. As the four raptors got restless, their alpha did as well. He was beginning to understand their wanderlust, the burning desire to run and run until everything faded away, until the world spread out like a map under the lamp of the sun, shimmering undiscovered in the distance. Nux could understand why so many alphas and their packs left, sprinting into the desert with little more than a prayer and the clothes on their backs. When you could run for miles unrestrained, the world called.

No one would be running anywhere on this particular night though. Once the lamps around his room were lit, Nux grabbed some paper and spread out on the stone floor, worn smooth by years of use. Death was already curled on his bed, breathing light as she dozed contentedly. Both Edge and Claw had decided to scale the desk, small, razor sharp claws leaving deep gouges in the cheap wood. It was Blood, however, that held Nux’s attention; she was perched on the edge of one of the boxes piled in a corner, orange-flecked eyes fixed on her alpha. Nux held her gaze for a moment, then turned his eyes to the paper to start drawing.

The previously unartistic War Boy had picked up this hobby only recently; he found that his fingers could capture what he saw in his mind’s eye, and it delighted him to no end. His first few sketches had been shaky and forced, but as he gained confidence the drawings began to spring to life, as if his pack could dance across the paper and sprint between sheets. This particular sketch would never be finished; Blood, usually so stoic and aloof, chose that moment to hop over to Nux and nuzzle against his shoulder, snarling a gravely greeting that the War Boy returned in kind. 

Nux walked a thin line between human an animal. He was already leaning toward beast, he knew; people didn’t live like this. But he wasn’t a person, not exactly. He was a machine, whirring insides skinned with scales. When his pack curled around him in the dark, Nux let himself forget his doubts, his origins, his species. 

His raptors wouldn’t learn to think like him, so he would have to think like them. And _damn_ if he wasn’t close enough to animal already.

He’d leave one day. He’d have to. He was already in too deep, the shadows of confused thoughts flitting behind his eyelids in sleep; were those fingernails or deadly claws? Was his snout tiny and pointed, sticking out of the middle of his face? Or was it sleek and streamlined, packed with weapons and dripping red?

Sleeping with raptors was harder than it sounded. But sleeping without them now was impossible.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes: packs have alphas, but War Boys and their rexes are considered partners. Rex is used to describe any big carnivore; Slit has Indominus, but a T-Rex or even something like a Gigantosaurus or Allosaurus would be called a rex in this ‘verse. It’s just a title sorta thing. c:
> 
> ((I might write more of this? Maybe. We’ll see. :D ))


End file.
